One of the direct pieces of evidence I needed to realize that close-caging is bad for chickens (and other animals) is just how much thicker the shells on "cage free" eggs are when compared to standard eggs. I guarantee the stress on the chicken's body produces softer, thinner shells as a result of being perpetually confined to a box.
If I don't feed my free-range chickens calcium supplements (oyster shells) their shells can get thin.
Keeping chickens in cages is more for the protection of the chickens than anything else.
If you let the chickens forage in a field, they will eat bugs, grass and leaves and get nutrients that you would otherwise have to feed them. So you can get away feeding them cheaper feed.
I do a lot of research on chickens because I have a few, and I read recently that the law states that you can call them open range chickens when there is one small door leading to the outside for a few hours.
Truth is, the chickens are stuffed so tight into their cages because their bones are so fragile they would break them if they tried to get outside.
It's a shame!
One of the direct pieces of evidence I needed to realize that close-caging is bad for chickens (and other animals) is just how much thicker the shells on "cage free" eggs are when compared to standard eggs. I guarantee the stress on the chicken's body produces softer, thinner shells as a result of being perpetually confined to a box.
If I don't feed my free-range chickens calcium supplements (oyster shells) their shells can get thin.
Keeping chickens in cages is more for the protection of the chickens than anything else.
If you let the chickens forage in a field, they will eat bugs, grass and leaves and get nutrients that you would otherwise have to feed them. So you can get away feeding them cheaper feed.
I do a lot of research on chickens because I have a few, and I read recently that the law states that you can call them open range chickens when there is one small door leading to the outside for a few hours.
Truth is, the chickens are stuffed so tight into their cages because their bones are so fragile they would break them if they tried to get outside. It's a shame!